EDF is eager to partner with the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), which has won a bid to build two nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Kazakhstan as part of an international consortium, French Ambassador to Kazakhstan Sylvain Guiguet told Kursiv.media in an interview.
«EDF takes potential cooperation with Kazakhstan in the energy sector very seriously. We know there are plans to build several NPPs in the country, including those expected to be built by China. So, we are considering the possibility — if the opportunity arises — of supplying equipment for these plants,» the ambassador said.
He noted that constructing an NPP requires a wide range of equipment.
«There are reactors, turbines, valves, pipes, cables and so on. We are ready to supply this equipment if necessary. We remain open to dialogue and ready to offer different forms of participation, including options related to operational control and monitoring systems,» he added.
Guiguet emphasized that since President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wants Kazakhstan’s NPPs to be built by international consortiums, EDF expects its experience, its capacity to supply advanced equipment and its ability to perform complex work to be taken into account.
He also stressed that France expects the NPPs built by China to follow the international consortium model, as this principle was central to last year’s nuclear energy referendum.
However, he ruled out any EDF involvement in the international consortium led by Russia’s Rosatom for the construction of the first 2.4-gigawatt NPP.
«There is the context of the war in Ukraine and everyone is aware of it. For France and the European Union as a whole, anything involving Russia and Rosatom is highly sensitive. The government of Kazakhstan is aware of our strong sensitivity on this matter,» he said.
He did not specify whether EDF could participate in the project if the Russia–Ukraine war ends, but stated that France is eager to share its expertise with Kazakhstan in training NPP workers, ensuring nuclear safety and working with the public.
After Kazakhstan announced its plans to develop nuclear power, it considered four companies as potential technology suppliers: CNNC (China, HPR-1000 reactor), Rosatom (Russia, VVER-1200 and VVER-1000 reactors), KHNP (South Korea, APR-1400 reactor) and EDF (France, EPR1200 reactor).
On June 14, the Atomic Energy Agency of Kazakhstan announced that Rosatom had been selected as the leader of the international consortium to build the country’s first nuclear power plant on Lake Balkhash. The agency later stated that China’s CNNC would lead the construction of the second and third NPPs in Kazakhstan.
